SEAG champ Striegl makes UFC jump amid uncertainty

Mark Striegl has competed in nearly every promotion one could think of.

So when an opportunity to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) cropped up, the Filipino-American mixed martial artist immediately grabbed it, even if it meant myriad coronavirus testing, lonesome traveling and leaving his family and a pregnant wife in Baguio City.

“I’ve fought everywhere but the UFC is the promotion that has eluded me throughout my career,” Striegl said in a prerecorded episode of the Hit List podcast aired on Thursday.

Striegl, the sambo champ in the Southeast Asian Games here last year, announced his UFC signing through social media saying it was a “dream come true.”

The grappling specialist is slated to take on Timur Valiev, a Russian prospect making also his debut on Aug. 22 at the promotion’s production studio, UFC Apex, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The two fighters tangle in the preliminaries of a 13-match showpiece top-billed by Pedro Munhoz and Frankie Edgar.

Streigl revealed that he flew out to the United States late in July upon the suggestion of his coach, George Castro, and Ruby Sports, a management firm he is currently signed to.

“I had to jump on the opportunity,” said Striegl, whose a handful of noteworthy fights came during his stints in ONE Championship, Universal Reality Combat Championship and Pacific Xtreme Combat, among others. “Especially during these COVID times, there’s just a lot of opportunity for athletes [who are] based in Vegas,” he added.